Mikhail Prokhorov: Happy to Make Knicks Overpay for ‘Melo

The Nets’ owner knows his team doesn’t have much of a chance to land Carmelo Anthony, so he’ll instead take pleasure in New York being pressured into gutting their roster to acquire the star forward. CNBC reports: “From his hotel suite in Beverly Hills, New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was playing coy on Sunday afternoon when asked what exactly happened in his short meeting with Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony yesterday. ‘It was a fantastic meeting, trust me,’ Prokhorov said, smiling. ‘No words, live music, excellent atmosphere. We looked into each other’s eyes. Just real man talk.’ … The Knicks deal for Anthony includes giving up Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler to bring Anthony, Billups, Williams and Anthony Carter to Madison Square Garden. Sources told Newsday that the Knicks decided on Sunday that they would not go any further with their offer. ‘I think we made a very good tactical decision to force (the) Knicks to pay as much as they can,’ Prokhorov said. ‘So it’s very good, it’s very interesting, it’s very competitive.’ As for the pressure on Anthony to make the right decision? ‘Carmelo is in a difficult situation,’ Prokhorov said. ‘For him, maybe it’s the most important decision of his life.'”